Workers’ Rights

I want employment law and employment rights and protections to be made clearer and simpler. Today I asked the Minister, Claire Perry, whether the government would confirm its support for an EU Directive that adopts an EU wide definition of ‘worker’ and gives all workers the right to a statement from their employer setting out their employment terms and …

Two people working alongside each other doing the same job should get the same rate of pay. This week, the TUC published a report which shows that unscrupulous employers are undercutting wages by keeping people on agency contracts for years.

Unusually for a Friday, I am in Parliament today to support two very important Private Members’ Bills. These are the Reuniting Refugee Families and the Banning Unpaid Trial Shifts Bill. As the name suggests, Private Members Bills are Bills introduced by individual MPs rather than by the Government. Because of the complexity and unpredictability of parliament’s procedures, I can’t be …

The Trade Union Bill was back in the House of Commons yesterday for us to debate and vote on the amendments to the Bill that the House of Lords had passed. When we finished the debate and vote last night, I had very mixed feelings. We had, through a very effective campaign and hard work by the trade union and …

On Thursday 10th December there will be a debate in the House of Commons about the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Hundreds of constituents have contacted me to raise their concerns about this dangerous trade agreement. In October I met local 38 Degrees campaigners from Cardiff who delivered a petition against TTIP. I am proud to stand up …

Yesterday I spoke in the debate about the Trade Union Bill. I am absolutely opposed to this bill, which is an ideological attack on the rights of working people, as well as being a partisan attack on the Labour Party. As so many members wanted to speak, I was limited to just four minutes, so below is the full text …

This despicable Trade Union Bill must be opposed by all who value freedom The Tories’ Trade Union Bill is illegal, illiterate and illiberal. Illegal because it breaches the UK’s international legal obligations. Illiterate because it is incoherent, inconsistent, bureaucratic and nonsensical. And illiberal because it requires government officials to snoop into union affairs, seize documents and impose fines – all at the union’s own expense. The Trade …

The National Minimum Wage was one of the last Labour government’s proudest achievements. This boosted pay for millions of people without leading to a loss of jobs and now I can’t imagine a Britain without it. But the issues we face today are different to those we faced at the end of the last century. The minimum wage was originally designed to prevent extreme low …

Labour Leader Ed Miliband has pledged to take action on the cost-of-living crisis facing many families, and has set out a contract stating what Labour will do to improve the lives of people across Britain. This week Owen Smith MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, explained how the actions in the contract would put money in the pockets of …

Last year 4% of retail staff across the country were attacked at work and 34% were threatened with violence. Currently these kinds of assaults are sentenced under Common Assault guidelines. Under these guidelines it is an aggravating factor to assault a public sector worker. However this does not apply to the thousands of people working in the private sector in Cardiff …